Chemical spray pyrolysis of β-In2S3 thin films deposited at different temperatures

In2S3 thin films were deposited onto indium tin oxide-coated glass substrates by chemical spray pyrolysis while keeping the substrates at different temperatures. The structures of the sprayed In2S3 thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XFD). The quality of the thin films was determined by Raman spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy were used to explore the surface morphology and topography of the thin films, respectively. The optical band gap was determined based on optical transmission measurements. The indium sulfide phase exhibited a preferential orientation in the (0, 0, 12) crystallographic direction according to the XRD analysis. The phonon vibration modes determined by Raman spectroscopy also confirmed the presence of the In2S3 phase in our samples. According to SEM, the surface morphologies of the films were free of defects. The optical band gap energy varied from 2.82 eV to 2.95 eV. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.